Going once … going twice … Andy Hoge was sold on auctioneering at an early age

Andy Hoge’s calm, measured voice is the opposite of what you would imagine from an auctioneer, whose speedy calls can be nearly incomprehensible to many people’s ears.

“When I’m auctioning, I do go a lot faster,” Hoge said. In everyday conversation, though, “I try not to jumble my words together too much.”

Family business

Hoge, 42, of Springville, has owned Hoge Auctioneering in Coggon for the last decade. Andy’s late grandfather, Bud Smith, originally started the business in the early 1960s selling livestock. Then Andy’s father, Kenny Hoge, now 76, bought the business and focused more on consignment sales.

With Andy now at the helm, Hoge Auctioneering specializes in estate and farm auctions, selling everything from farm machinery and tools to antiques and even acreages.

Andy Hoge grew up going to auctions with his father, learning the business from a very early age. In fact, he called his first auction when he was just 16.

“I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps,” Hoge said. “You get to do a variety of things. I don’t go to work every day and punch a clock, I’m not always at the office. I always have something to do, I don’t run out of work.”

While Hoge says his style of bid calling is similar to his father’s and grandfather’s, he modernized the business when he bought it, introducing wireless clerking and a mobile clerk trailer to take to off-site auctions. He also started holding online auctions a few years back.

Bidding online

Already having online auctions in place was helpful when the pandemic hit in March 2020.

“After COVID came, it became a staple for all the auctions in the country,” Hoge said. “I was already set up for it, which kind of made it easier for me because I wasn’t scrambling trying to figure it out.”

Hoge said that COVID-19 has changed how people buy things, making online purchasing more popular. As a result, he doesn’t expect to see as many household items going back to live auctions.

However, “farm auctions, with the farm machinery and stuff like that, I don’t see that going away,” Hoge said. “There’s a lot of people who would sure like to see auctions come back.”

In-person

Four times a year, Hoge hosts a large machinery consignment auction at his auction building off Highway 13 that typically draws 700 to 1,000 people.

During these large auctions, Hoge needs 15 to 20 workers, some acting as “ringmen” who circulate through the crowd and help spot and call out bids. He also will have multiple auctioneers calling at the same time, from different corners. Hoge has had auctions last anywhere from two to 15 hours, but says they average four or five hours.

While his grandfather has passed away, Hoge’s father still helps out at auctions but no longer does any bid calling.

Andy Hoge’s wife, Christina, 41, helped more with the business when they were first married, but now is often busy driving their three children, Kailee, 16, Ella, 13, and Grayden, 8, to activities.

The kids help out where they can. Kailee occasionally takes photos of items for the website. Grayden likes to tag along with his dad at the auctions.

“For an 8-year-old, he does a lot of work,” Hoge said. “I really enjoy having him there,” although he notes it’s too soon to know if any of his kids will join the business some day.

Auction process

For people who only have a few items to sell, they can add their items to Hoge’s weekly Tuesday night consignment sale online.

If you’re looking to hold an auction, don’t expect a quick turnaround.

From the time he is contacted about an auction, it takes Hoge a minimum of six weeks to make it happen. This gives him time to make sure clients are getting the most money for their items, Hoge said.

Hoge Auctioneering works on commission, or a percentage of sales, instead of a set fee, and the percentage depends on the type of item and is agreed on with a client before the auction.